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A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this music.

Positive Messages

Some dark social commentary, all too appropriate for our times.

Violence

Lots of death imagery, in kind of a Halloween-spooky way.

Sex

Sophisticated relationship themes, but nothing explicit.

Language

Consumerism

TWO practically identical CDs!

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Nothing obvious.

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Good Charlotte gets to the heart of the matter with graphic (but PG-rated) imagery. Some fans might find it irritating that there are two versions of this CD, with the only variation being the bonus track.

What's the story?

Good Charlotte joins the ranks of bands releasing two CDs simultaneously with THE CHRONICLES OF LIFE AND DEATH, with the only differentiation being the cover art and a bonus track. True-blue fans and collectors, of course, will have to buy both. After a ponderous beginning that includes orchestral strings, choral singing, and church bells, the band settles into a collection of energetic punk-pop, with more sophisticated themes than on previous albums. Imagery is graphic, though PG-rated, with lyrics like \"You come in cold/you're covered in blood/they're all so happy you've arrived/the doctor cuts your cord/hands you to your mom/she sets you free into this life\" (on the title song) or \"So this is it/this is my life/it's ending tonight...whoa, it's alright\" on the \"Death\" bonus track.

Is it any good?

Over all, the lyrics of The Chronicles of Life and Death reveal some deeper thought about big issues, and will be appreciated more by thoughtful teens than by younger kids. The music is performed with vibrant immediacy, and the Madden brothers, Good Charlotte's centerpiece, turn in terrific performances. If angst-filled posturing comes with the territory, so what? Somehow everyone still sounds as though they're having fun.

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